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11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A fast paced & light-hearted black comedy. Well worth a read!, 22 Dec 2006
"Past Mortem" is Ben Elton's ninth novel which was first published back in 2004. Described on the sleeve as a "heart-stopping thriller and a killer comic romance", having been written by the comedian Ben Elton, you were sure to have a fair amount of comedy within the book.
The novel reads like a black comedy version of a Shaun Hutson thriller novel, being very easy to read, delivering short fast paced chapters that end on miniature cliff hangers throughout the book. The novel follows the life of detective Edward Newson as he tries to capture a serial killer who is murdering bullies in inventive and disturbing ways. The storyline is somewhat similar to David Fincher's film Seven, yet at the same time so very far removed.
The likeable character of Newson, who was obviously based on Elton himself, keeps the novel alive with his comical view on the world, even in the face of such difficult circumstances. The running subplot of Newson's secret crush on one of his fellow colleagues and his resulting non-existent love life, makes the character so much more loveable.
The novel is slightly let down by the obvious and predictable outcome of who the killer is, which becomes apparent from quite early on. This obviously was not Elton's intention, which ruins the `twist-ending' as you will see it coming from a mile away. Still, the book is a thoroughly enjoyable read due to the well written nature of the book, and for a bit of light hearted reading, you can't go wrong with it.
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9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A truly enjoyable read., 25 Feb 2006
By A Customer
A superb read, I could not put the book down, reading right through the night. I have tried to analyse why and how Ben Elton’s style of writing is so captivating, but I can’t tell you. By half way through the book, I had a good idea who the villain was, but there was always an element of doubt, which kept me burning the midnight oil.
There is a great interweaving of different story lines, the crimes with gruesome details, a love story, interesting characters and the sex. The sex – my father used to say
“You youngsters think you invented sex”
I’m now at the same age my fathers was when he made these remarks, and it’s true, youth must have invented sex, there are things in this book I had never dreamt of; but then again, I have lead a very sheltered life.
A truly enjoyable read.
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14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Great thriller, but don't expect much comedy, 1 Nov 2004
As a murder mystery this book is very good - easily ranking up there with most of the consumer crime novels on the shelves today. No, it isn't a comedy, but I don't think that Elton was trying to write one this time. But it is a great analysis of the long and short term effects of bullying, and it did raise a chuckle from me on occasion. This isn't a book for the faint of heart. Most of the murder scenes are described in very graphic detail but you'll realise as the story develops that this is necessary, as it is the methods of killing that becomes the focus of the plot. Yes, I did guess who the killer was about two thirds of the way through, but this is not so important because I was interested in how the book's hero, the "short-arsed ginger minger", Detective Inspector Ed Newson, would figure it out and catch the bad guy. I can highly recommend this book, but don't expect a laugh-a-minute whodunnit like Dead Famous. This is more along the lines of the social commentary of High Society and Elton demonstrates an increasingly mature style.
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